Making your own fishing flies is a hobby in its own right. So how do you start fly tying and go from a hook and thread to a finished fly? Turrall is your guide to exploring the fun and creativity of fly tying, from first steps to making flies to suit your favourite fishing.
The uptake of a new hobby/interest can be as exciting as it is daunting. Often we find ourselves questioning everything with an eagerness to learn quickly, and a yearning to glean every bit of information. It’s little surprise this can quickly leave our heads feeling battered! And yet fly tying is a hobby almost anyone can get to grips with- and enjoy the huge satisfaction of catching on “one of your own”.
When it came to clamping a bare hook in my vise, kindly bought by my parents as a Christmas present several years ago, I was bewildered. Heck, the vise itself took some setting up. "Now, how on earth do I attach feather and fur!?"
It was a friend of mine who sat with me on that fateful evening and helped me tie an unweighted pink squirmy worm. My dad, although a fly angler all his life had no first hand experience of tying - though I've changed that as times gone on...*wink*
You can’t beat that feeling of catching on something you’ve made!
'Dubbing needles, whip finishing tools…. You name it, my dining room and brain alike became filled with new terminology and equipment I'd yet to understand!
BUT, fast forward a few years and with a little bit of patience, a few snapped threads and the odd choice word, I've happily tied flies that have caught multiple species in various countries for myself and friends. I have to say it's something I've come to love as much as the angling itself! And so, in this blog, I’ve put together some few pointers that I've been mindful of since starting. If you scroll a little further, we’ll also look at a checklist of essential fly tying materials and the tools you won’t want to be without.
One great benefit of tying your own flies is that you can make them in any size or colour for any species! Carp patterns are a favourite for Jamie.
Fly tying from scratch- tips for beginners and improvers!
1) Start simple!
Pick a fly pattern you could go and use tomorrow. A Hare’s Ear, a Squirmy Worm, a Blob, or a plain black varnished Buzzer! These patterns will not only 'get you going' when it comes to building your tying skill but they'll catch you fish, too. They can be tied with the bare essentials and within a matter of minutes.
Start simple- a Squirmy Worm is basic but deadly
2) Perfection can wait!
DON'T strive immediately for aesthetic perfection right away. Regardless of what I say, you no doubt will. I know I did! It's in my nature and it's in most people's to want our 'creation' looking 'just right'...but seriously, WORRY NOT, the fish seldom care if there's a leg missing or a thread wrap out of place! In fact, I've often found that the scruffier the fly the more interest it's gained - creatures in the wild aren’t pristine. Just look at a hog louse or a spent mayfly and you’ll see what I mean.
A hothead damsel. Coloured beads and tinsels offer simple ways to enhance your flies.
3) Less is more!
'Over dressing' is a fancy way of saying 'too much'. In turn, doing so will only lead to a waste of tying materials, a bulky looking fly and a degree of difficulty when attempting to 'tie off' an overcrowded hook. So often sparser flies move and look better. Furthermore, real insects and invertebrates are seldom bulky and over the top. The real things tend to be thinner and more subtle than our creations, so don’t be afraid to go minimalist.
Simple flies made from quality materials will seldom let you down.
4) Practice, practice, practice!
Like anything in life the more you do it the better you get at it. And when you do catch on something you've made yourself the feeling of satisfaction you'll feel...well if you could bottle that and sell it, you'd be a millionaire! Starting simple makes so much sense in this regard though- that way you can try and learn just one or two skills at a time. Flies that take many steps and combine various techniques can wait till later.
5) Get organised
As many an angler’s family will testify, fly tying can be a messy hobby. Do yourself a big favour and start in orderly fashion, with a rough system in place. If you can designate a table or corner in your home to it, much the better. Storage systems are another smart move- whether it’s tackle boxes or DIY supplies. Label these early- whether it’s a container for hooks, feathers or tinsels. Another good investment is a pack of sealable freezer bags to store feathers, odds and ends. Be wary of any materials that you “inherit” – these could contain parasites, so at first always isolate from your newer materials and if in doubt try freezing or packing in a bag along with a blue toilet block to halt any nasties. And don’t forget a small waste bin to go under your vise- catch all the bits and scraps and you’ll save yourself a headache later.
6) Use free fly tying guides and handy resources
Just as you wouldn’t learn to play a guitar without a teacher, you don’t have to start fly tying completely solo. There are so many great resources out there. Perhaps your local fly fishing club or a branch of the Fly Dressers Guild could help? Or numerous YouTube videos.
Last but not least, there are some awesome books out there. Barry Ord Clarke’s Fly Tying For Beginners is one excellent reference work with stacks of great advice.
Fly tying basics checklist: What tools and materials do I need to start fly tying? What essentials should I buy?
For a full range of quality, affordable fly tying materials, look no further than the Turrall Flies range! Another excellent solution is one of our fly tying starter kits, which contain everything you need to get going. In the meantime, though, here is a handy checklist of essentials and basics no fly tyer should be without:
Above: Bobbin holder and a simple tying vise- both readily available and inexpensive from Turrall flies.
Tools:
- -A basic fly tying vise (this can be very simple! A posh, rotary model can wait until your skills and budget expand!
- -Bobbin holder- this keeps your spool of thread snug and under control
- -Quality scissors – don’t skimp on this. Your scissors should be the best you can afford and cut to a fine point.
- -Hackle pliers – for keeping feathers and other materials tightly gripped
- -Whip finish tool – in time you may well do without, but start by making the job easy!
- -Dubbing needle: a must to tease out materials, as well as applying a spot of varnish to finish flies
Materials: The list here is endless, but let’s start with some basics and universal must haves
- Threads. Start with black, white and tan, plus one bright colour, minimum
- Hooks: Get a selection of patterns for the flies you’ll start with. Don’t go too tiny at first! Good starting points would be nymph/wet fly hooks (sizes 10, 12, 14) and lure/streamer hooks (sizes 8, 10). Dry fly hooks (size 12,14)
- Varnish: At minimum you want a pot of basic varnish, to apply and seal the head of every finished fly you create.
- Metallic beads: In 3.2mm or 3.8mm. Very handy for making sinking lures and nymphs
- Ribbings: Take some oval tinsel and flat tinsel in gold and silver, plus one spool each of silver and copper wire
- Hare’s Mask: The best all round natural dubbing of all!
- Other dubbing: Get synthetic dubbing in black and olive, minimum.
- Pheasant Tail: cheap and beautiful
- Peacock herl: Bags of natural shimmer, for pennies!
- Marabou: In black, white and olive- a must for lures
- Chenille: for lure bodies. Take three or so colours, black, white and perhaps a lime green
- Partridge: Cheap and brilliant for making legs
- CDC: Excellent for simple dry flies. In fact, just thread, dubbing and a CDC wing will create you an F-Fly, one of the simplest and best dry flies ever!
For an all in one solution, it’s also worth checking out our fly tying starter kits (premium kit shown above), with prices that begin at well under £100 for everything you need to get going!
Thanks to Jamie Sandford for such a great write up. Well done.
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